Deep Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake

Instructions

1. 1

   Paint the pan

   Stir the melted butter and 1 tablespoon cocoa into a thin paste. Using a pastry brush, work it into every ridge, crease, and up the center tube of a 12-cup Bundt pan until the whole interior looks matte brown. This beats flour, which leaves pale streaks on a dark cake, and it is the single biggest factor in a clean release. Slide the pan into the fridge while you mix.

2. 2

   Heat the oven

   Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 325°F (165°C). A moderate oven lets a tall cake cook through the center before the outer crust dries out.

3. 3

   Whisk the dry ingredients

   In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt for a solid 30 seconds. Break up any lumps of cocoa or brown sugar with your fingers as you go, since they will not dissolve later.

4. 4

   Combine the wet ingredients

   In a second bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth, then whisk in the oil, sour cream, buttermilk, and vanilla until the mixture is uniform and pourable. Stir the espresso powder into the hot coffee and set it aside; it deepens the chocolate flavor without tasting like coffee.

5. 5

   Bring the batter together

   Pour the wet mixture into the dry and whisk just until no dry streaks remain. Slowly stream in the hot coffee while whisking; the batter will look alarmingly thin and that is correct. Stop mixing the moment it is smooth, as overworking this batter toughens the crumb.

6. 6

   Fold in the chocolate

   Toss the chocolate chips with a teaspoon of flour, then fold them in with a spatula. The light flour coating helps suspend them so they do not all sink to the bottom of a thin batter.

7. 7

   Fill and bake

   Pour the batter into the chilled pan, filling it no more than two-thirds full, and rap the pan firmly on the counter two or three times to release trapped air. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until the top springs back, a skewer inserted halfway between the tube and the outer wall comes out with a few moist crumbs, and the center reads about 205°F (96°C). Start checking at 50 minutes.

8. 8

   Cool and unmold

   Cool in the pan on a rack for exactly 15 minutes. Any less and the cake is too fragile; any longer and the sugars glue themselves to the pan. Place a rack over the pan, invert the two together, and lift the pan straight up. Let the cake cool completely, at least 2 hours, before glazing.

9. 9

   Make the ganache

   Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream and corn syrup until it just begins to steam and bubble at the edges, then pour it over the chocolate and leave it undisturbed for 3 minutes. Whisk from the center outward until glossy and smooth. Let it sit 5 to 10 minutes to thicken slightly, until it coats a spoon like warm honey.

10. 10

    Glaze and serve

    Spoon the ganache over the crown of the cooled cake, nudging it toward the edges so it runs down the ridges in thick ribbons. Let it set for about 30 minutes before slicing with a long serrated knife.

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Baker's Tips

• 1.

  Weigh your flour if you can. A heavy-handed cup or two of flour is the difference between a fudgy cake and a dry one.

• 2.

  Cold sour cream, buttermilk, or eggs will make the batter seize and look curdled. Set them on the counter for 30 minutes, or warm the dairy briefly in the microwave in 10-second bursts.

• 3.

  No coffee? Use the same amount of boiling water. You lose a little depth but the cake still works.

• 4.

  If your Bundt pan is 10 cups rather than 12, bake any extra batter as a few cupcakes for 18 to 20 minutes instead of overfilling the pan.

• 5.

  This cake is genuinely better on day two, once the crumb has settled and the chocolate flavor has rounded out. Bake it the day before a party.

• 6.

  For a lighter finish, skip the ganache entirely and dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar just before serving.

Equipment

• 12-cup Bundt pan
• Pastry brush
• Two large mixing bowls
• Whisk
• Flexible spatula
• Wire cooling rack
• Instant-read thermometer or long skewer
• Small saucepan

Storage